1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction peripheral, and a removable device that is removably installed in the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, a technique of removably installing removable devices, such as developer containers (toner bottles, toner containers, or ink cartridges) or process cartridges, in image forming apparatus main bodies has been widely used. A removable device is provided with an information storage device (an information recording unit or a non-volatile memory), such as an ID chip, that stores therein information to be exchanged with an image forming apparatus main body. Information stored in the information storage device is transmitted to a control unit of the image forming apparatus main body while the removable device is set in the image forming apparatus main body. Further, by transmission or the like of information from the image forming apparatus main body to the information storage device, adequate quality control is performed on the image forming apparatus main body and the removable device.
The information stored in the information storage device includes, for example, manufacturing year, month, and date of the removable device, a manufacturing lot number, a color of toner, or a type of toner. The information transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the information storage device includes a use history or the like of the image forming apparatus.
Japanese Patent No. 4886084 discloses a removable device including: an information storage device that includes an information storage unit that stores therein information communicated between an image forming apparatus main body and the removable device, includes a terminal that comes in contact with an apparatus main-body terminal installed in the image forming apparatus main body and communicates the information with an image forming apparatus main body, and includes a substrate that holds the information storage unit and the terminal and has a guide to be fitted to an apparatus main-body protrusion provided in the image forming apparatus main body; and a holder that holds the substrate of the information storage device such that the substrate, when the removable device approaches the apparatus main-body terminal provided in the image forming apparatus main body, is able to move on a virtual plane intersecting with a moving direction of the removable device.
In Japanese Patent No. 4886084, the substrate of the information storage device is held by the holder of the removable device such that the substrate can move on the virtual plane intersecting with the moving direction. Therefore, when the removable device is to be attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the guide of the substrate moves by being guided by the apparatus main-body protrusion. However, in this case, the substrate moves by being pushed against the holder; therefore, if slidability between the substrate and the holder is low, the apparatus main-body protrusion and the guide of the substrate may be caught together. Reduction in the slidability is caused by low surface property of the holder or by burr catching an edge of the substrate. As described above, if the apparatus main-body protrusion and the guide of the substrate are caught together or if the removable device is not accurately inserted in the image forming apparatus main body, the apparatus main-body terminal may not reach the substrate, resulting in a communication failure.
There is a need for a removable device and an image forming apparatus that prevent the apparatus main-body protrusion and the guide of the substrate from being caught together and that enable reliable attachment to a normal position to prevent a communication failure.